


Matsuda's Gift Exchange

by Swolo



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Gift Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28575411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swolo/pseuds/Swolo
Summary: Following Chief Yagami's death, Matsuda devises a plan to bring up the spirits of the Kira Investigation. Now he'll just have to convince them.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12
Collections: Death Note Secret Exchange 2020





	Matsuda's Gift Exchange

“No.”

  
Touta Matsuda blinked. “What?”

  
Shuichi Aizawa’s eyes never left his monitor. “You heard me, Matsuda.”

  
Matusda frowned. Not surprised, but I didn’t expect such a short response.

  
“Come onnn, Aizawa, this can raise the morale of the team!”

  
“No.” Aizawa’s perpetually stern expression was unchanged.

  
“It’s festive.”

  
Aizawa frowned. “Since when do you celebrate Christmas?”

  
Matsuda shrugged his shoulders. “Since I saw online this thing the American’s call...dirty Santa?”

  
Aizawa’s typing stopped. “Is this a porn thing?”

  
Matsuda’s face reddened. “N-no! It's a gift exchange.

  
Aizawa paused what he was doing to finally give Matsuda a sideways glance. “What kind of gifts?”

  
Matsuda gave another hapless shrug. “Anything really! It’s really fun, everyone gets a gift, then we sit around and each chooses one randomly.”

  
Aizawa exhaled slowly. “I’ve barely got the time or money to buy my kids gifts, much less one for you guys.”

  
“It’s nothing big! Maybe two to four hundred yen?”

  
Aizawa frowned. “You really want to do this? Why?”

  
Matsuda let out a sigh, leaning back to his chair. “I don’t know sir...We’ve all just been working our asses off. More So lately than in the last five years, and…” He leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper, though they were the only two in the room. “The team needs this after what happened to the Chief.”

  
Silence fell between the two as suddenly they tried everything in their power to avoid eye contact. It had only been a handful of weeks since Soichiro Yagami’s sudden passing following the team’s raid on the hideout of the terrorist only known as “Mello” and his allies from the American mafia. Father of fellow member Light Yagami, Soichiro commanded the respect of his subordinates- not only respect for his position but also for his character. The man had embodied honor, and his absence was felt heavily by the whole team.

  
Aizawa shook his head. “Look…” He turned to Matsuda. “If you can get everyone- everyone- on board with this, and you set up a place and time.” He couldn’t believe he was saying this. “Then I’ll agree to this gift exchange of yours.”

  
Matsuda was stunned. “Thank you sir!” He moved to hug Aizawa but was hastily pushed back into his chair. “Glad to see you’re feeling the Christmas spirit!” Matsuda gave him a wink.

  
Aizawa tried to fight his grinning, jamming a thumb towards the door. “Its getting late, get home, you moron.”

  
______________________________________________________________________________  
With glee Matsuda closed before him. Aizawa was always going to be the most difficult to convince. With him on my side, the others should go along easily! As if by fate, at the end of the hall Matsuda spotted his colleagues Hideki Ide and Kanzo Mogi, chatting with each other

.  
“Ide! Mogi!” Matsuda shouted, sprinting down the hallway, waving the two down. He could already tell Ide had a disgusted look on his face, while Mogi stared with the same unreadable expression as always.

  
“Stop running in the halls, Matsuda, we’ve been over this.” Ide chided. “The floor below us is going to complain again.”  
“Sorry! I just had to talk to both of you before you went home.”

  
Ide grimaced. “What is it?”

  
Matsuda gulped. Ide was never one to hide his distaste for him- even all the way back to five years ago when they first started working together, and since Ide had rejoined the investigation...nothing much had changed. Observing the man’s already annoyed expression, Matsuda knew he was already on the losing end of the ensuing discussion. Taking a deep breath, he began his pitch with renewed confidence.

  
“We’ve been through alot these last few months, wouldn’t you two agree?” Ide and Mogi gave each other confused sideways glances, and nodded slowly.

  
“I was just talking with Aizawa, and I thought it was a great idea for us to have a gift exchange!”

  
Ide raised an eyebrow. “A what exchange?”

  
“A gift exchange! For Christmas!”

  
Ide put a hand over his face. “Ridiculous…” He halfway muttered.

  
Matsuda pursed his lips. “Aizawa thought it was a good idea-”

  
“He probably said that to appease you,” Ide’s hand slipped away to reveal disappointed features. “We don’t have the time.”

  
“The time? We’ve been chasing Kira for five years! A night to ourselves wouldn’t hurt!”

  
Ide gritted his teeth. “It’s pointless!”

  
“It’s not!” Matsuda gave Mogi and imploring look. For once, the giant seemed flustered, looking back and forth between the glaring Ide and Matsuda. Finally, he raised a hand to speak.

  
“It’s a nice gesture, Matsuda, but Ide’s right. With the chief gone, the work has increased for all of us, and with Mello now to contend with, every night must be devoted in finding him.” Mogi spoke with a calmness, and Matsuda could tell from his eyes that he was speaking truthfully, and not just to brush him off.

  
Matsuda stared sadly at his feet. “I guess you’re right..” He put a hand in his pocket and crossed his fingers tightly. Mogi gave Ide a disapproving look and an elbow jab in the ribs. Ide cursed him under his breath and looked back to Matsuda.

  
“Hey, stop moping.” Ide drew a deep breath. “What would this gift exchange entail?”

  
Matsuda beamed. “We would each draw a name, get a small gift we think that person would like, and then get all together at a restaurant or someone’s home to exchange!”

He looked earnestly at both of them.

  
Mogi looked to Ide. “It’s harmless, really.”

  
Ide opened his mouth to object but received another glare from Mogi. From the disapproval of him and the eagerness of Matsuda, Ide finally caved. Rubbing his temples, he simply gave a slow nod.

  
“Yes!” Matsuda took them both by surprise by wrapping an arm about both and embracing the two. “You’ve made my day.”

  
“What’s this?” The three froze in place at the voice of none other than Light Yagami coming from behind them. Ide practically threw Matsuda to the floor trying to get him off as the three tried to regain their composure in Light’s presence.

  
“N-nothing!” Ide’s voice cracked. He and Mogi gave each other a nervous glance. Any interaction with Light outside of official investigation work was a rarity, and even after five years the team truly never knew how to react to his presence. Light for his part gave the same smile he ever did. Matsuda always thought Light’s smile, though it looked friendly, always had a certain chilling nature about it. Despite his smile, his eyes were always intense- he almost looked to be dissecting any person he looked upon.  
“Hey Mogi,” Ide gave him a quick pat on the back. “Thanks for the offer to drive me home!” He gave a completely unsubtle head to the stairway exiting the hall and Mogi was quick to pick up on his hints.

  
“Of course! You’re very welcome.” Mogi gave an unconvincing performance. The two gave their goodbyes and quickly departed, leaving Matsuda alone with Light. The latter turned and gave Matuda that same lifeless look he had given his subordinate a thousand times before. He stayed quiet, almost daring Matsuda to speak first.

  
“Ah...Light, what luck.” Matsuda played with his hands. “I was just hoping I’d run into you before you went home.”

  
Light’s smile endured. “Yes, Matsuda? I haven’t long, so make it brief.”

  
Matsuda’s words fumbled. “I was talking it over with the others, and I had an idea for a team building- yes! A team building activity!”

  
Light cocked his head. “What would this activity be?”

  
“A gift exchange! I saw online how the Americans do it! We still have time before Christmas!”

  
Light blinked. “What?”

  
“I think the Americans call it dirty Santa...or White Christmas...or...something with an elephant?” Matsuda’s mind was starting to wander.

  
“Stop, stop.” Light raised a hand. “A gift exchange? Why would we partake in such a thing?”

  
“Well you see, I know the whole team has been down since…” Matsuda took a deep breath. “Since your father’s passing. I believe something like this can-”

  
“Stop.” Light didn’t have to raise a hand this time, as Matsuda choked on his last words. “Who has expressed any such feeling since his death?”

  
Matsuda raised an eyebrow. How could he talk so nonchalant about his own dead father?

  
“No one, Light, I just have a knack for feeling this sort of thing. I think we would all enjoy a little distraction from everything that’s been going on, and I know your father would want us to-.”

  
“Now I want you to just stop talking entirely.” Straighten his tie. “I find it offensive that you dare to even assume what my father would want when you barely knew the man, and then you try to explain to me, his son, how he would feel.” Matsuda felt dead inside, but he knew Light had only just begun. “You also insult my father by implying he would condone this frivolous garbage, and not only is it pointless, but it distracts from our goal.” He seemed to loom over Matsuda as he spoke these next words. “Now, if you want to spend all of your time planning ridiculous social events, I can easily have you transferred to a more...blithe department.”

  
Kira, kill me now. Just so I wouldn’t have to be here any longer. Matsuda gave a weak nod.

  
“My apologies, Light, I spoke out of turn and without regard. I won’t let such distractions interfere with my work again.”

  
Light placed a hand on his shoulder. The grip was harder than Light was letting on. “Thank you, Matsuda, I’m glad you understand.” After an eternity, he released his hand. “Now if you excuse me, I must be heading home.”

  
______________________________________________________________________________

  
Days later, Matsuda’s mood hadn’t improved in the slightest. He avoided Light as much as he could, and even the other three sensed that something had gone down between the two. Where Matsuda would usually hang around the investigation headquarters to chat with the team, now he was leaving as quickly as possible. All to avoid another unpleasant encounter with Light.

  
A week after the confrontation, Matsuda noted that Aizawa and the others had packed their things and had left before him.

  
Weird.

  
As he made his way onto the parking lot, in the ebbing sunlight he spotted three figures huddled around his convertible. He quickly realized as he drew closer that it was Aizawa, Mogi, and Ide.

  
“You guys…?”

  
Aizawa turned to him. “Matsuda!” He raised out a hand, clutching a small, wrapped box.

  
Matsuda’s eyes widened as he realized what he held, and he noticed that the others held identical gifts as well.

  
Aizawa noticed his confused glances. “We thought about it, and we decided your idea was a good one after all.”

  
“But Light-”

  
“What Light doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Mogi spoke.

  
Ide sighed. “Now do you have your gift or not? Our reservations are in half an hour.”

  
Matsuda couldn’t believe it. “Reservations!?”

  
Aizawa smiled. “Yeah, Mogi here got us a table at that fancy ramen place, Ichiraku.”

  
“That’s incredible!” Matsud was beaming. “My gift has been in the car for weeks, I was actually going to throw it out tonight.”

“Well, good thing you didn’t!” Aizawa laughed. “Now, you’re driving.”

  
“Ah hell, Matsuda is a terrible driver!” Ide complained.

  
“Stop complaining and get in, Ide,” Mogi gave him a slap on the back of neck.

  
“Thanks for this guys” Matsuda said as he got into the car. “I really…” Aizawa noticed the heaviness that overcame him.

  
“Don’t sweat it, Matsuda, just drive. I’m starving!”

  
Matsuda smiled. Soon the four were on their way “Hey guys! I almost forgot, I burned a CD of some Christmas music. There’s a really good one on here, its called...What I want- No! All I want for Christmas!”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Death Note gift exchange of 2020


End file.
